


Somebody To Love

by Untoward



Category: EastEnders (TV)
Genre: Amnesia, Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Slow Burn, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-16
Updated: 2020-04-16
Packaged: 2021-03-01 21:28:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,429
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23683924
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Untoward/pseuds/Untoward
Summary: “How long has it been?” Callum quickly asked and Ben dropped his fingers from Callum’s hair, bringing his hand to Callum’s arm squeezing it slightly. “Ben, how long has it been?”“Four days,” Ben said as softly as he could, trying to calm Callum’s frantic tone. “It’s only been four days, it’s okay.”“Then why,” Callum took in a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves. “Then why is Jay’s hair so short.”Ben’s face went pale, and gently ran his fingers up and down Callum’s arm. “What do you mean?”orCallum got into an accident causing him to forget the last four years of his life.
Relationships: (past) Callum "Halfway" Highway/Whitney Dean, Callum "Halfway" Highway/Ben Mitchell
Comments: 17
Kudos: 107





	Somebody To Love

**Author's Note:**

> Hello all! I know I have another fic on the go but I couldn't stop thinking about this scenario. So, here is my completely self indulgent amnesia fic.
> 
> Dedicated to Ro [(forcallumiwould)](https://twitter.com/forcallumiwould) \- just for being so great.

Callum’s chest felt tight.

It would happen to him all the time when he was in the army, especially when he would see a civilian. His head would spin, his chest would tighten, and he would feel like he couldn’t move. His feet would be stuck to the ground and the sounds of gunshots and soldiers from his platoon telling him to _move, Halfway, before you die,_ would do nothing to him. The only thing that would help would be if he closed his eyes and took 10 deep breaths. That’s when his head would stop spinning, his chest loosened, and he would be able to move again.

Except this time, he couldn’t take 10 deep breaths. Callum tried, but he couldn’t move, couldn’t open his eyes, couldn’t breathe without it hurting. He wanted to open his eyes, but it was painful and soon, he stopped trying.

\--

Callum woke up eventually, it was hard at first, his eyes having been closed for so long his eyelids were dry. But after some time, they fluttered open and the first thing that Callum saw was the light that was hanging above him. It was a bright, white light and it made Callum’s eyes hurt. He closed his eyes again to stop the pain but this time he was conscious. It took a while, but Callum started to feel the sheet that was beneath him, he started to hear the constant beeping of a machine to the left of him. He started to feel how dry his throat was, and all he could think about was water. He need water.

Slowly, he opened his eyes once more and the light didn’t hurt as much as it did the first-time round, but his head was still hurting. He opened his mouth, trying to alert someone in the room that he needed water, but his voice didn’t seem to want to cooperate. After a few moments had passed, he tried again.

“Water,” Callum rasped out, his voice scratching his throat. He tried again when there was no response, figuring he was too quiet. “Water.” He said and this time someone appeared at the side of his bed.

“Callum?” A voice whispered from the side of him. “Callum, are you awake?”

He closed his eyes, as if that would ease the pain that was running through him. He spoke up again, his voice still raspy but better than it was before. “Water.”

“Callum, you’re awake!” The man said and threw himself onto Callum’s chest. The sudden movement caused the bed that Callum was on, and his whole body to shake. The sudden movement made Callum hiss in pain, his whole-body aching. “Shit, I’m sorry, bruv.”

Callum looked at the face of the man that was fretting over him and soon he realised it was Stuart. That made Callum relax a little, knowing his brother was there with him. His throat was still dry, so he tried to ask one more time. “Water.”

“Oh, yeah, of course.” Stuart filled up a cup from the side with water and brought it to Callum’s lips.

He opened his mouth and took a few sips of the drink. Soon, he realised how thirsty he really was and started to gulp down the rest of the water.

“Woah, slow down,” Stuart said, his voice rising in panic. “You shouldn’t drink that fast.”

Callum wasn’t listening and he finished the whole cup of water within seconds. Stuart pulled the cup away and placed it on the table. Callum’s stomach was now full, and it started to ache more than it had before. Callum doubled over the bed, trying to aim for the floor and he threw up. 

“Shit, Callum!” Stuart said and quickly reached for the button to alert a nurse. Callum continued to throw up, his vomit going down his chest. Callum looked down to see red and all he could think about was _blood, was that my blood? That’s my blood._

“What’s going on in here?” A nurse said, her eyes drifting from Stuart to Callum. Once she saw the state Callum was in, she quickly came to his side, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.

“I don’t know what happened, he just started to throw up!” Stuart said, his chest rising and falling quickly.

“Did you give him something to drink?” The nurse asked, her voice measured.

“Just some water.” Stuart said and gestured to the jug that was sat on the bedside table.

“He probably drank it too quickly; you should have called us as soon as he woke up.” The nurse let out a small sigh but smiled at Stuart to try and ease the worried look on his face. “He’ll be okay, I just need to change him, if you could leave for a few minutes.”

“But – “

“It’s for his own comfort.” The nurse smiled once more and gestured towards the door with her head. Stuart let out a sigh and left.

\--

Callum could feel the sun on his face again, could hear the gunshots in the distance, he could feel the sand in his eyes. He was spiralling; he knew this must have been a dream, but it all felt so real. There was no comforting him, it was just him alone in the desert, not even his fellow soldiers by his side.

But then something happened, something came into his mind that made all his thoughts of the past go away. A thought of him running his fingers through dark brown hair, a set of brilliant blue eyes looking up at him. A bright smile being sent his way. Whitney.

“Whit…” He mumbled out, his arm aching as he reaches forward. There is someone beside him, placing a hand on his arm and putting it back down on the bed.

“Careful, mate,” The voice was gentle beside him. He blinked his eyes open, now much easier than it was initially but still a struggle, and just about recognised Jay in front of him. “Don’t strain yourself.”

Callum wasn’t paying much attention to what he was saying, he looked at Jay and asked one more time, his voice still a little rough. “Whit…”

“Oh,” Jay said, taking his hand and placing it on Callum’s shoulder gently. “He’s just having some rest in the waiting room, it took us ages to try and convince him to go but he eventually did,” Jay let out a little chuckle. “We’ll go and get him if you stay awake long enough for the doctor to come in… which judging by your eyes closing I don’t think you will be.”

“I’ll try.” Callum mumbled and that made Jay smile.

“It’s alright mate, you need to get some rest.”

\--

The next time he woke up he felt more refreshed, more coherent than he had before. His body still ached, and he couldn’t move much, but he had more movement in his body than before. When he came round, he could feel someone gripping his hand tightly and he looked to his left to see Ben sitting in the chair beside his bed. His hair looked greasy, like he hadn’t washed it in days and the bags under his eyes were prominent. Ben looked a little older than the last time he could remember, the changes were subtle, but they were there. The small wrinkles that were added to the corner of his eyes and the specks of grey hair.

He then tried to remember Jay from the last time he woke up. His hair had gotten significantly shorter and that’s when the tightness of his chest returned. Callum shook Ben’s hand that was in his, trying to wake up him.

“Ben,” he whispered, his voice frantic, “Ben, wake up.”

Ben blinked his eyes open at the sound of his name and when he looked at Callum his face went from the tight expression to one that was more relieved. He smiled at Callum comfortingly and got up to stand by his side.

“Hey baby,” Ben whispered, bringing his hand up to Callum’s forehead and pushing his hair back. “How are you feeling?”

Callum wasn’t listening to what Ben was saying, his head was still reeling from the thought of Jay’s hair.

“How long has it been?” Callum quickly asked and Ben dropped his fingers from Callum’s hair, bringing his hand to Callum’s arm squeezing it slightly. “Ben, how long has it been?”

“Four days,” Ben said as softly as he could, trying to calm Callum’s frantic tone. “It’s only been four days, it’s okay.”

“Then why,” Callum took in a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves. “Then why is Jay’s hair so short.”

Ben’s face went pale, and gently ran his fingers up and down Callum’s arm. “What do you mean?”

Callum’s head rolled to the other side of the pillow and closed his eyes tightly. His head was starting to hurt again, and his chest was tightening but this didn’t feel like before. It didn’t seem like his anxiety that was acting up, it felt like something else. His whole body was hot, and it ached more than it had in days. He started to shake slightly, and he looked back at Ben.

“Ben,” Callum said tightly. “Ben, it hurts.”

“Shh,” Ben said quietly, but his voice shook slightly. One hand went back to Callum’s forehead and the other pressed a button for a nurse. “It’s okay, a nurse is coming.”

“I’m dying.” He slurred and at that moment, he meant it. He felt it, in his arms and feet, he felt himself slipping away.

“You are not dying,” Ben said fiercely and pressed the button once more for the nurse. “I will make sure of it.”

Callum closed his eyes before the nurse came in, trying to ease the pain.

\--

Callum woke up later that day and this time he felt like he could stay awake for a prolonged period. Ben was still in the same place as he was before, but this time he was leant forward in the chair, his hand still in Callum’s, gripping it tightly. He didn’t know why, but the contact brought Callum a great sense of comfort, so he didn’t question it.

Stuart was also in the room, along with Jay and Lola. Callum tried not to think about the fact that they all looked so different. Ben said it had only been four days so it must have only been four days, his mind must be playing tricks on him. Soon the doctor came in and sent him a bright smile, picking up the clipboard that was at the end of Callum’s bed and reading through it.

“Hello, Callum, I’m Dr. Faheem, I’ve been the one monitoring your case since you came in, it’s good to see you’re awake.” She said before picking up a pen from her white coat pocket and clicking it. “I’m going to ask you a few questions just to see where you’re at and then we can move forward with your treatment; will that be okay?”

“Yeah, of course.” Callum said softly, and Ben squeezed his hand at that.

“Great, first question, how are you feeling?” She asked but before Callum could answer, he heard Ben scoff.

“Obviously not great if he’s in a hospital bed.” Ben said, his voice filled with rage. Callum rolled his head over to look at Ben and sent him a glare.

“Ben, please,” he said and shook his head slightly. “She’s just trying to do her job.” 

Ben rolled his eyes but didn’t say anything else and Callum sent him a smile in return. He turned back to the doctor. “Tired, I feel really tired and my whole-body aches, sometimes my body is more in pain than other times but it’s always hurting. I feel better than when I first woke up, though.”

Dr. Faheem nodded her head and wrote something down on the clipboard before facing him again. “Can you identify everyone in the room for me?”

Callum could hear Ben take in a deep breath, and saw his nostrils flare up in anger but he bites his tongue and for that Callum was grateful. He named everyone in the room with ease and looked back at Dr. Faheem.

“Your date of birth?”

“25th March 1991.”

“And can you tell me how the accident happened?” Callum’s face scrunched up in confusion at that and Dr. Faheem must have seen the distress on his face, so she carried on speaking. “It’s okay, after a traumatic accident like this it’s easy for there to be some confusion, just try to tell me as much as you can.”

Callum can’t seem to remember much, all he remembers is him walking with someone, someone with dark hair and then a lot of pain and that’s when he seems to remember the accident.

“I was walking home with Whitney, we were out for dinner and then on the way home I think I tripped over something, hit my head on the edge of the curb.” Callum said slowly, but when he looked up, he saw everyone’s face in the room completely drop.

Dr. Faheem seemed to sense Callum’s discomfort and quickly jumped it. “Like I said, an accident this traumatic can cause some confusion, Callum, what year is it?”

Well, if him and Whitney had been out for dinner and they have been dating for about a year then it must be, “2019?”

Callum could cut the tension in the room with a knife. Everyone’s faces changed, most of them going into a sense of panic. He tried to ignore everyone, only focusing on the doctor, but he has never felt so uncomfortable before in his life.

“Callum, it’s the 14th of September 2023.” Four years, four years had been wiped away from Callum’s memory and he didn’t even know. He just sat there, his hands going limp and witnessed the state the room went into. Stuart was quick to start shouting at the doctor, asking if there is anything that can be done and fast. Lola quickly made her way over to Callum, sitting on the bed and bringing his head to her chest, stroking his hair slightly. Jay, Jay was looking at Ben which made Callum turn his head slightly.

Ben was sat on the chair, staring into space. His eyes were empty and distant, his bottom lip was taken between his teeth and his eyebrows were furrowed in what appeared to be anger. Ben dropped Callum’s hand and left the room; Jay was quick to follow him.

“There are test that can be done, Mr. Highway but – “

“Will his memories ever return?”

“There is a high chance, yes, but – “

“But what?”

“But it’s too early to tell,” Dr. Faheem sighs and turns back to Callum. “Callum, I don’t want to overwhelm you. Do you want to know the specifics of your injury now or do you want to wait to until later?”

“Now, but can everyone please be quiet?” He said, sending his brother a glare. “My head is hurting.”

“I think it’s best if everyone else leaves,” Dr. Faheem said, looking at Lola and Stuart. “And I’ll explain everything.”

Lola placed a small kiss on Callum’s head, before getting up from the bed and grabbing Stuart’s arm, tugging him towards the door. Stuart hesitated, looking between Callum and Dr. Faheem, but Callum nodded his head, a silent, _it’s okay._

“I’m sorry,” Callum said once everyone had left, “About everyone.”

Dr. Faheem smiled at him and waved her hand in dismissal. “Don’t apologise, they’re just worried. It’s a lovely thing to see, considering a lot of patients don’t have friends or family supporting them.” Callum said nothing in reply and Dr. Faheem sighed, taking the clipboard and putting it back at the end of Callum’s bed.

“You have a fracture in your skull, that has resulted in a severe concussion. That is what is causing the memory loss.”

“Will, will I get better?” Callum asked hesitantly.

“With a lot of rest, medicine and time, yes the fracture in your skull will heal.” Dr. Faheem said with a smile.

“Will I get my memories back?” Callum swallows nervously. 

“That is a little harder to determine,” she takes in a deep breath and comes to stand next to. “I am not a therapist, I don’t specialise in things like this, but I do know that therapy sessions are essential for this kind of injury.”

Callum just looks at her, not being able to say anything, not wanting to say anything. He felt more tired than he had in days, this draining the last bit of energy that he had. 

“I’ll contact a therapist; she’ll come and talk to you in a few days. You will have weekly sessions and hopefully that will help with bringing your memories back, does that sound okay?”

Callum said nothing, he just nodded his head.

Dr. Faheem left his bedside and went to open the door but before she left, she turned back. “It’s going to be hard, but I promise whatever happens, whether your memories come back or not, you’ll be okay.”

“How can you be so sure?” Callum asks her, his voice coming out as a croak.

“Because you have beautiful people surrounding you.” With that, Dr. Faheem left.

Callum cried well into the afternoon.

\--

“Maybe we could bring back photos.”

“I don’t think that’s a very good idea.”

“Why not?”

“You heard what Dr. Faheem said – “

“Well, I think she’s wrong – “

“She’s a _trained professional_ – “

“I am right here,” Callum whispered and slowly opened his eyes. “I can hear you talking about me and my doctor.”

Stuart rolled his eyes and Callum smiled, happy that they weren’t walking on eggshell’s around him.

“You better go back to sleep,” Lola said with a little smile, grabbing his hand and squeezing it gently. “It makes it easier to heal.”

“I’m awake now, no thanks to you two,” Callum replied with a cheeky smile and squeezed her hand. “Lo?” He said, his voice turning curious.

“Yeah, Callum?”

“Why – “ He was interrupted by the door to his room opening quickly.

“What is he doing up?” Ben said, fury in his voice. He walked over to Callum’s bedside and sent the two of them a glare. “Dr. Faheem said he needs as much rest as he can get.”

“It’s okay, Ben – “

“No, it’s not,” Ben looked at Callum, his eyebrows furrowing. He looked back at Stuart and Lola “Leave.”

“What?” Stuart said, his voice raising in anger. “You can’t do that – “

“I said, get out!” Ben replies, his eyes filled with rage.

“C’mon, Jay is in the canteen.” Lola said, going towards the door, Stuart hesitated but he soon followed her.

“Bit harsh, Ben.” Callum said, looking over to him. “They were just having a conversation.”

“It woke you up, you shouldn’t be up for a long period of time.” Ben said, fixing the sheet that was on top of Callum.

“I’ve been asleep enough these last few days.”

“Well, you need more.”

Callum let out a playful huff but carried on letting Ben fuss over him. Ben soon stopped and sat in the chair next to Callum’s bed, not saying anything. He was just staring into space, his thumb against his lips. Callum looked over at him and then back towards the bed, fiddling with the sheet.

“Ben?” Callum asks quietly.

“Hm?” Ben replied, turning his head to look at Callum.

“When did me and Whitney break up?”

Ben’s nostrils flared as he sat forward in the chair. “Who told you?”

Callum furrowed his eyes. “No one,” Callum moved around on the bed, trying to get comfortable. “I just figured, well, Whitney isn’t the type of person who wouldn’t come visit her boyfriend when he’s in hospital, is she?”

Ben let out a sigh. “September 2019.”

“Ah,” Callum said, his chest aching slightly. “Was it something either of us did?

“No,” Ben said quickly, looking up at him and smiling. “You just realised you were both looking for different things, you’re still really good friends though.”

“Yeah?” Callum asked and Ben nodded his head silently. Callum felt a deep sense of loss, he had thought he had a girlfriend a few days ago and now all of that has been ripped away. Callum loved Whitney, he truly did, but sometimes things don’t work out the way you hoped they would. “What about you then, found Mr. Right?”

“Ahh, no I- no.” Ben said quickly, shaking his head.

“Still picking up randomer’s online?” Callum said with a chuckle and Ben let out a laugh, shuffling in his seat.

“No, I’ve stopped that for a few years now.” Ben answered as truthfully as he could.

Callum let out a sad sigh before turning away from him. “I’m sorry Ben.”

“Hey, what for?” Ben asked gently. “You have nothing to be sorry for.”

“I feel like a shit friend, I know nothing about your life, and you know everything about mine.”

“That’s not your fault, you idiot.” Ben says but there is no malice there, his mouth going up in a smile. “You didn’t mean to get into an accident, now did you?”

Callum smiled at his teasing tone and cleared his throat, shifting slightly in his bed. “I guess not, you still make me watch musicals regularly?”

Ben lets out a small laugh, and shoves Callum’s arm gently, trying not to hurt him. “I caught you crying at West Side Story that one time, you can’t deny it.”

Callum let’s out a hearty laugh, playing with a thread that was lose on the sheet.

“So, how’s remembering going?” Ben asks, his voice soft. Callum looked at him and saw him smiling, but his eyes were glistening a bit.

“Hard to remember anything when you’re not sure what you should be remembering,” Callum took in a deep breath. “Maybe I can ask some questions?”

Ben shook his head slightly. “Dr. Faheem said it would be best if we didn’t tell you a lot, to let your memories come back naturally.”

Callum just nodded his head, looking back down onto the bed sheet.

“Hey,” Ben whispered softly, placing his hand next to Callum’s on the bed. Callum looked down to see cuts and bruises all over Ben’s knuckles. He doesn’t seem to remember them being there when he first woke up, but he doesn’t remember a lot of things. He doesn’t question it; he just let’s Ben continue. “A lot of things have changed in the past four years, but I know one thing that hasn’t.”

“Yeah, what’s that?” Callum asked, his voice small and attentive.

“Your love for the Iron Man trilogy.” Ben said with a small smirk.

Callum smiled at him brightly. “You hate superhero movies, has that changed?”

“No, I still hate them,” Ben chuckled. “But you can sit through my musicals, so how about I go grab my laptop and we get started on them, yeah?”

“That sounds good.” Callum says. “Thank you, Ben.”

“Don’t mention it.”

\--

“Four years just seems like a really long time.” Callum says, turning his head slightly to face the therapist. 

Dr. Mangal nodded her slightly. “Yes, it is a really long time but it’s very common for people who have suffered with this kind of injury.” 

“Will I ever get my memories back?” Callum asks, taking his bottom lip between his teeth, chewing nervously.

Dr. Mangal takes in a deep breath, “I’ve seen many cases like this, where with some therapy sessions, memories come back as soon as the head injury is heeled.” 

“But?” Callum says, noticing that she seems to have more to say but she’s cutting herself off. 

“But I also see plenty of cases where the head injury heals, and the memories don’t come back.” She says, trying to be as comforting as possible and Callum appreciates her trying, but it doesn’t stop his stomach from sinking. 

“And what happens then, what happens if my memories don’t come back?” 

“Then, you move on. You make new memories with the people around you.” 

Callum shakes his head, anger rising in his chest, but he doesn’t take it out on her. She is, after all, just trying to do her job. “That’s disheartening.” He says instead. 

“Maybe so, but you can’t think about that when we haven’t even started the therapy sessions yet,” She smiles at him, trying to bring some positivity in the room. “Once a week, you should be coming in and you should also get a journal.”

“What for?” 

“It’s good if you’re documenting things, what you did during the day, who you’re interacting with, your dreams. All those things are important for your recovery.” 

Callum nods his head. “Okay, thank you.”

—

“Guess who can start eating solid foods,” Ben says as he opens the door, coming to stand next to Callum. “You can.”

Ben places the Tupperware box on the tray in front of Callum, who rolls his eyes.

“Ben, you’re not supposed to bring food from outside here, it’s hospital policy.”

Ben waves his hand in dismissal. “Oh, they don’t need to know. Besides, it’s your favourite.”

Ben opens the Tupperware box to reveal chicken pasta and Callum couldn’t help but smile. 

“It’s not as good as when you make it, but I tried my best.” 

“It’s looks pretty good actually,” Callum says, picking up his fork and putting it in the pasta. “Thank you.”

Ben just smiled and went to sit on the chair beside Callum. As Callum eats the pasta, _slowly, remember to eat it slowly_ , Callum couldn’t help but think about Ben. He had been here every day; he had been attentive and kind. To him, anyway. He can make snarky remarks to the staff and Stuart. Callum is glad to see that hasn’t changed. However, he can see that their friendship has grown stronger as the years passed. The last thing he can remember, him and Ben had been friends for about half a year, and they had been good friends but, this is different. It’s different but it’s good, Callum is happy he is friends with people like Ben, Lola and Jay. He is lucky to have them in his life.

“What did the therapist say?” Ben asked, his hands crossing against his chest.

“Oh,” Callum said, swallowing a piece of fusilli, “Dr. Mangal? She said I have to come in for therapy sessions once a week and get a journal.”

Ben furrowed his eyebrows. “A journal? What for?”

“She said it’s good to keep track of my day and my dreams, it will give me a better chance of remembering.”

“Okay, we’ll get you a journal. As soon as you leave, we’ll go and pick one out, on me.” Ben smiled at him and Callum chuckled.

“Treating me to a journal, I have done nothing to deserve this.” Callum said jokingly, but when he looked back at Ben his face had turned serious.

“You deserve more than a journal, Callum.” Ben said, shaking his head. “You deserve more than all of this.”

After that Ben sighed and leaned back on his chair, turning his head away from Callum and staring out the window.

Callum didn’t say anything, just picked up another piece of fusilli.

\--

“How about we try standing up and going to the toilet, yeah?” The nurse says, coming to stand next to Callum and extended her hands for him to take.

“Thank you.” Callum mutters, taking a hold of her forearms and trying his hardest to sit up.

“Careful,” Ben speaks from the other side, placing a soft hand on Callum’s back. “Last time you tried getting up it didn’t go so well.”

Callum ignored Ben, rolling his eyes to the nurse, who chuckled at their interaction. He smiled back at her and sat on the edge of the bed. “I hear you’ve been looking after me since I’ve arrived.”

The nurse nodded her head. “Yeah, that’s right, I’m your assigned nurse.”

“Well, thank you,” Callum replied. “I didn’t catch your name; I feel a bit rude referring to you as ‘the nurse.’”

She gave him a bright smile. “My name is Faith.”

“Your name is Faith and you became a nurse?” Ben said and with a chuckle. “How fitting.”

“Ben, don’t be so rude.” Callum said, his voice filled with horror, but the nurse just chuckled.

“Please, if you think that’s the first time, I heard that joke then you are sorely mistake,” She said as she held Callum tighter when his feet hit the ground. “Your friend is not the first person I’ve met who thinks their funny, I’ve been here for 20 years.”

“I am funny!” Ben insists but Callum and Faith ignore him as Callum lifts himself up. It’s a struggle and everything hurts but it’s the first time he’s succeeds since he first started to try and get up. It fills him with some joy that he is, in fact, getting better.

“We’ll take the walk to the toilet slowly; we don’t want you to strain yourself.”

Callum doesn’t say anything, just takes slow steps as Faith guides him to where he needs to go, her hands on his to keep him steady. When they reach the toilet, Callum speaks up.

“You have to come in with me, don’t you?” Callum asks, his voice low.

“It’s just a precaution, so you don’t fall and hit your head, no one wants that.” Faith replied, a sad smile gracing her lips. “I’ll turn away around the whole time, it’s nothing that I haven’t done before. 20 years, remember?”

Callum just nodded his head, walking into the toilet. Faith walked in and closed the door, keeping her back towards Callum.

“I can’t believe I have to sit down while going to the toilet,” Callum said, sighing. “This is humiliating.”

“You’ve had a severe head injury, it’s fine.” Faith replied. “This won’t be forever.”

“Then why does it feel like it will be.”

\--

It was another week before Callum could be released from the hospital. It turns out he was right about him and Ben having become closer friends, as it turned out they lived together, and Ben will be looking after Callum during his recovery.

“Are you excited to be going home?” Dr. Faheem asked as she walked into the room, a clipboard in her hand.

“He’d be more excited if he could remember his home.” Ben said, his voice having a sarcastic edge to it.

“Don’t listen to him,” Callum said to Dr. Faheem “I’m excited to see something other than these four walls but, I’m a bit scared.”

“That’s completely normal, you’ll be fitting into someone else’s home, someone else’s life. But hopefully, with some therapy and some rest your memories will come back.” Dr. Faheem looked down at the clipboard and started to speak about his treatment. “Plenty of rest, okay? Sleeping is a natural healing agent, so don’t think your being lazy. Your body is doing what it needs to do to heal. I’ll prescribe you some medication for when you have a flare up, they can be quiet bad but if they feel worse than usual please come in and don’t leave a flare up thinking it will pass, it won’t and your healing process will be hindered. Therapy sessions once a week with Dr. Mangal, and we will review your case in a months’ time. Sound okay?”

Callum nodded his head. “Sound’s great, thank you.”

“No problem, good luck, Callum.” She sends Callum a smile, and turns to look at Ben, smiling at him as well before leaving then room.

“You ready?” Ben asked, coming to stand in front of Callum.

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” Callum said with a tight smile. “It’s all going to work out, right?” He asked hesitantly, looking for some sort of comfort.

“Yeah,” Ben said quickly, nodding his head fiercely. “Of course, it’s going to work out.”

“How can you be so sure?” Callum asked, his voice going quiet. “What if it’s like this forever?”

“Callum, you’re one of the strongest people I know.” Ben looks down at Callum’s lap, where his hands lay on his thighs and he hesitates at first, but soon he reaches over, cupping one of Callum’s hands in his own. He runs his thumb along Callum’s knuckles and smiles at him. “And even if the worst happens, even if your memories don’t come back, you’re going to be okay.”

All Callum could do was smile back, but at that moment he didn’t feel very strong at all.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you all for reading. All kudos and comments are greatly appreciated. 
> 
> Come bother me on twitter and tumblr: 
> 
> twitter - [lexibpearce](https://twitter.com/lexibpearce)  
> tumblr - [mitchellsiblings](https://mitchellsiblings.tumblr.com/)


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